Being my travels down those great two lane highways of this nation as well as news I learn about them from media sources. Since I'm also very interested in historic preservation, there will be a lot of that as well.

Thursday, July 4, 2013

Next, I took a ride out east of downtown Dekalb on the old Lincoln Highway, an area I never used to drive much during my college days from 1969-1973, except maybe to the town of Maple Park, which had alcohol sales on Sundays (Dekalb didn't back then). Guess what day my fraternity went there.

It is four lane all through Dekalb. By the way, Lincoln Highway through here is Illinois Highway 38. I drove out to the edge of town and found Dekalb Florist shop which has a sign saying it was founded in 1904. With time to kill, I was going to take a walk through their hothouse which advertised everything in it on sale for half price. I said I was going to because they had all their sprinklers on at the time.

On the way back to town, I saw gas at a station for $3.66.

DEKALB'S EGYPTIAN THEATRE

I stopped by the neat old Egyptian Theatre downtown and parked (FREE PARKING, Chicago!!). It is called that because it looks like something you'd expect to see in ancient Egypt. It was built shortly after the discovery of King Tut's tomb back in the 1920s. Quite a few theaters were built with that inspiration across the country back then, this being a really fine survivor of that architectural style.

A group now owns it and is committed to keeping the place open. At one time it was thought that the place would be torn down (which would have been a shame). The inside is as ancient Egyptian as the outside. We've been in it back during Dekalb's Corn Festival back a lot of years ago and just recently in May for the Illinois Lincoln Highway Motor Tour Centennial Celebration.

It was closed, unfortunately. A sign taped to the door said, "The Egyptian has never had air conditioning. Still doesn't since 1929. No shows summer months."